1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of a feed tube with an internal flame arrester to connect the air side of a diaphragm fuel pump to the intake manifold either directly or through the wall of the carburetor of an engine for the purpose of disposing of fuel accumulating as a result of diaphragm rupture.
2. Prior Art
In an internal combustion engine fuel is commonly moved from a tank to the combustion area by a diaphragm fuel pump. If the diaphragm ruptures, fuel will escape from the fuel side of the pump into the air side and cause a potentially hazardous accumulation of combustible gases. It is desirable to safely dispose of the fuel to prevent the generation of these gases and at the same time to warn the operator of the disorder in the fuel system.
One means of accomplishing this result has been to connect the air side of the diaphragm fuel pump to the intake manifold. The flow passage used must prevent backfire from the manifold to the pump.
Feed tubes with internal flame arresters that have been applied to this problem have heretofore typically emplpoyed masses of metallic fibers, either woven in the form of a mesh, or unwoven, disposed in the gas feed tube. Such elements tend to act as filters and may eventually clog and prevent the free flow of fuel. Moreover, as such fiber surfaces become coated with materials which filter out of the gasoline, their flame arresting action may be diminished by virtue of the combustibility of these filtered materials.